


The Word on the Floor

by darkness (flower_child)



Series: Like Real People Do (Korra/Kuvira) [3]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 14:27:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3176020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flower_child/pseuds/darkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra and Kuvira spend the weekend's evenings and nights together, go to dinner, and other fun (and not so fun) things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Word on the Floor

Korra was lying on her couch completely face down. She groaned into a pillow. Her phone went  _ping!_ on the table next to her.

Thank god. Someone was saving her from the boredom.

_What are you doing tonight?_

It was Friday afternoon, and Korra was thinking about the prospects of a whole weekend ahead of her…

Who needs to read for class anyway? Not Korra.  ~~Who was she kidding, of course she did.~~

_Nothing much. Unless you've got other ideas?_

Korra flipped onto her back, texting with her tongue between her teeth. 

A response. 

_I'm taking you to dinner, then back to my house._

Korra jumped up. “Yes!” she shouted. “Goin’ to dinner!”

Her roommate just grinned and shook her head.

 

Kuvira stared at her reflection, trying to decide what to wear. She had a strapless emerald dress on that fell several inches short of her knees. Should she wear a cardigan or something? Was the dress too booby for their first dinner date? Did the heels make her _too_ tall?

Kuvira flopped down on her bed. A small voice in her head told her that Korra wouldn’t care what she was wearing. Then another voice, her voice, insisted she needed to impress Korra.

Kuvira raised her eyebrows, surprised. This voice was the drive that kept her going, the smirk on her face that stood her up and put a necklace around her throat. It had never been so keen on her proving herself to someone else, until now. Determination flowed like energy through her veins as she grabbed her purse and marched out of the apartment.

 

The doorbell rang. Korra ran to answer it, her heels click-clacking to the entryway. “Kuvira!”

Kuvira stood there grinning and looked Korra up and down. She was wearing a beautiful blue cap-sleeved dress. She let Korra watch as her eyes lingered on the Very Short hem, then traveled up every inch of her to land on her eyes.

“You look beautiful,” Korra said, smiling.

“Well, you look _stunning_.” Kuvira glanced inside the apartment and saw Opal lounging on the couch, flipping channels. “Hey, Opal.”

“Hey, Kuvy.” Opal looked up, grinning. “Be safe, kids.”

Kuvira offered her arm to Korra, who took it, and together they walked to the parking lot.

“Kuvy?” Korra asked, looking at Kuvira.

“Shut up.” The latter punched Korra’s shoulder with her free arm.

“You’re giving me bruises and we haven’t even made it back to your place yet.” Korra shook her head, but smiled in spite of herself.

 

“You’re telling me you’ve never been to the _zoo_?” Korra stared at Kuvira incredulously over her bowl of egg noodles and fish.

Kuvira laughed. “Mom always told us it was cruel to watch imprisoned animals for fun.”

“Well when you put it that way,” Korra grimaced. She glanced at Kuvira’s plate of rice noodles. That explains the vegetarianism, she thought. Aloud, she said, “I’ll have to take you sometime.”

Kuvira grinned. “Not if I take you first.”

Korra raised an eyebrow. “You can do that anytime.”

“I just might.”

Korra stood up in her chair and leaned across the table to place a tantalizing kiss on Kuvira’s cheek, just away from her mouth.

“We _are_ going to my house after, I will remind you.” Despite her words, Kuvira’s eyes were hungry. It made Korra want to wait till they got to Kuvira’s apartment less and less.

Korra sighed loudly. “Alas, I will continue to eat my noodles patiently.”

Kuvira shrugged, fishing an ice cube from her glass and popping it into her mouth. “ _Earthbender Weekly_ said it’s sexier to wait.”

How was it possible that Kuvira could make eating an ice cube look like the sexiest thing you’d ever seen? Korra shook her head. Impossible.

“Ms. Kuvira!” A small voice exclaimed, running to their table.

Korra looked at Kuvira, alarmed. However, she seemed to be used to this.

“Hey, Nina!” Kuvira stood up, expertly shaking hands with her parents as the small girl wrapped herself around Kuvira’s legs.

“So sorry to interrupt,” Nina’s mother said, glancing at Korra, who waved awkwardly.

Nina’s father said nothing. He was looking between Korra and Kuvira, an action which made Kuvira distinctly uncomfortable.

“No problem at all,” Kuvira said, patting Nina on the shoulder. “Enjoy your dinner.”

The mother led Nina away by the hand rather hurriedly.

Kuvira sat back down with an apologetic look on her face. “That happens a lot. There’s a very large population of girls in ballet, and a great many of them come to the studio.”

Korra smiled unconsciously, her eyes on Kuvira. “They really like you, don’t they?”

“Well—I guess, I mean it isn’t—“ Kuvira’s cheeks were slightly pink.

“You’re such a good teacher,” Korra said softly. “And a great dancer.”

 

How did they end up watching  _The Incredibles_ at two in the morning? 

Just another question to which Kuvira had no answer. However, she didn't really mind. It was funnier than she thought when she was thirteen, but, as she remembered, she didn't think much of anything was funny when she was thirteen. 

It was Saturday night, and Kuvira was lying with her head in Korra's lap, watching the superhero family fight off bad guys. She was getting more into it than she had anticipated. 

"No!" She shouted. "They can't take the incredible kids' ship!!!"

She felt Korra laugh. "Who knew? Kids' movies can get you all riled up."

Kuvira grinned as she looked at Korra, who was playing with Kuvira's wet hair. She suddenly felt the most comfortable she’d ever felt, in one of Korra’s t-shirts and a pair of her sweatpants after they showered (among other things).

After a few seconds, Korra paused the movie and asked, "What are you?"

Kuvira raised her eyebrows.

"I mean—like sexuality-wise, like—"

"I see what you mean," Kuvira said, sitting up so she could face Korra. "I, um, I don't really know."

Korra looked her in the eyes and took her hand. "You can tell me."

How was it that Korra could always tell when she should pry and when she should leave the subject alone? It made her want to trust her so much…but trusting too many people never gave a good outcome in Kuvira’s books.

The truth was that Kuvira was bisexual. It had been a real issue for her growing up, actually. She'd always wanted everything to be black and white, and such a big part of her was the grayest of grays. She generally chose not to identify herself.

Kuvira bit her lip. She always hated sharing. "Kinsey 2-4."

Though it was completely irrational, she always thought that her partners would think that this would discount her feelings for them. It had been something she wondered herself. 

This, however, was not Korra's reaction. She pulled her into a hug.

Kuvira was shocked. "I-I thought you would hate me or something."

Korra looked at her. "I could never hate who you are," she whispered.

 

Korra woke up to a cell phone ringing to the tune of an _Of Monsters and Men_ song. She felt Kuvira scramble up from the sofa to pick up the phone.

“Kuvira Bei Fong,” she said in greeting as she walked into the kitchen.

Korra glanced at the clock. 11:34am.

In her tired state, she couldn’t make out much of the phone call. It seemed to go on for a long time, but Korra wasn’t entirely sure.

“Yes, I understand,” Korra heard Kuvira say steadily. “Thank you for letting me know. Goodbye.”

Korra expected Kuvira to come back and lay down again, but she didn’t. After a minute or two, Korra sat up, listening closely. Was Kuvira…crying?

No, Kuvira didn’t cry.

She listened closer. That was definitely sniffling.

Korra jumped up and walked cautiously into the kitchen.

There Kuvira was, standing against the counter with her face in her hand, her shoulders shaking with tears.

“Hey, hey, what’s going on?” Korra said softly, approaching Kuvira and rubbing her back gently, brushing her tangled hair from her eyes.

Kuvira just shook her head, then choked, “Nina won’t be coming to ballet anymore.”

Korra stood there, confused. Then, she remembered the small girl from the night before.  “What do you—“

“Her mother doesn’t want a _pedophilic lesbian_ teaching her d-daughter.” Kuvira began to sob harder and allowed Korra to wrap her strong arms around her.

Korra was speechless.

Kuvira continued, “I should be _ashamed_ that I would think about teaching children and as I go further in life I shouldn’t force my _lifestyle_ on _innocent children_. That’s literally s-so judgmental on top of being incredibly offensive, like what the fuck, I’m not a fucking pedophile.”

Korra rubbed slow circles into Kuvira’s back. “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. You know who you are, and that son of a bitch can’t ever hope to know you.”

Kuvira nodded. She knew who she was. She was Kuvira. She tried to forget about it as she let Korra hold her until she stopped crying.

 

Kuvira sighed, consumed by that hollowness you often feel after crying for a long time. She twirled her hair with her fingers, clutching a cup of tea with the other hand. Kuvira knew in her mind that there was no reason to be so upset; it was just the opinion of one person. But it felt like the very core of her being was insulted.

“I have to teach a class at 1.” Kuvira’s voice was flat, weary.

Korra looked at her from the stove, where she was putting some sort of lunch together from whatever was in Kuvira’s fridge. “Can’t you like call someone else? You’ve already had a rough day, and it’s literally only noon.”

Kuvira closed her eyes and shook her head. Korra saw a few left over tears spring free from her eyelashes at the sudden motion. “Sunday’s my day. I basically own the studio.” She got up, her face feeling empty. “I’m gonna go get ready.”

 

Korra watched her go, at an utter loss as to how to help Kuvira. She sighed and continued cooking. The girl should get some food in her stomach at least, she told herself.

A few minutes later, Kuvira returned, wearing leggings and a tight blue t-shirt that read, ‘Fuck the police.’

“Too much?” Kuvira put her hands on her hips.

Korra squinted and held up her thumb and forefinger close together. “Just a bit.”

Kuvira nodded and retreated back into her room.

When she reemerged, Kuvira had changed her shirt to a simple red one. She sat down at her small kitchen table and drew her knees up to her chest. “I just don’t even know,” she said, resting her chin between her knees.

“I know,” Korra said soothingly, walking over and stroking Kuvira’s hair. She took a ribbon from the table and expertly tied the long strands back. Korra grinned, leaned down, and started kissing down Kuvira’s neck.

After a moment, Kuvira stood up and pushed Korra against the cabinet with her body. “You know what?”

“What?” Korra slid her hands from Kuvira’s hips to her butt.

“ _Fuck them,”_ Kuvira said, kissing Korra ferociously.

 

“Do you want me to come to the studio? I can walk home whenever or something.” Korra was watching as Kuvira packed her bag to go to work.

Kuvira looked at her, and for a split second, Korra could see fear in her eyes. She nodded.

“Everything will be okay,” Korra murmured, pulling Kuvira into a hug again. This time, she didn’t let Korra hold her. Kuvira withdrew, not meeting Korra’s eyes.

Kuvira swallowed hard, feeling pressure again behind her eyes. She would not cry again. But this is what she did: she pushed people away when times got rough. She absolutely hated it, and she could see the behavior from a mile away. But there was nothing she could do about it.

 

They drove to the studio blasting _Green Day_ with the windows rolled down. Kuvira slid her hand across the middle of the row and clasped Korra’s. “Thank you,” she whispered.

She didn’t even know if Korra heard her, but she could almost feel her saying, “You’re welcome.”

  
Kuvira pulled into a spot half a block down from the studio; all the other spaces were filled. As they got out of the car, Korra stopped Kuvira. “Wait, I should ask you something.”

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. “Okay, shoot.”

Korra bit her lip and stood in front of Kuvira. She looked past her for a moment at the studio, gathering her thoughts. “I really like you,” she said, rubbing the back of her own neck for something to do. “Actually that’s more of an understatement…Anyway, I wanted to know if you would be my—“ Korra stopped dead as she processed what her eyes were telling her.

Down the street, the studio’s front window was smashed in, glass everywhere. This was _bad._

“Korra, what’s wrong?” Kuvira looked alarmed, then glanced over her shoulder to see what Korra was staring at.

“No!” Korra prevented her from seeing by seizing the side of her face and kissing her desperately.

“What the fuck is going on?” Kuvira pushed Korra off of her and turned to look at the studio. “Oh no,” she whispered and took off running down the street.

“Kuvira, wait!” Korra shouted as she sprinted after Kuvira.

Korra came to a screeching halt at the building a second after Kuvira, who was just standing there staring, her hand covering her mouth. No tears slid down her face this time.

Korra looked into the studio through the holes where the huge windows used to be. Something was spray painted on the floor where Korra had seen Kuvira glide like God himself had sent her.

_Faggot._

“Oh, fuck,” Korra whispered, stunned. Kuvira slid past her through the door. “Wait, Kuvira, there might be glass—“

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

  
Kuvira looked around her trashed studio, trying not to think about the tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. Her mirrors were smashed; the stereo was on its side, wires sticking out. Had someone taken a pickaxe to it? And the word on the floor…

Suddenly, she heard a sniffle from the corner. She wheeled around to see the shape of a teenage girl who stepped into the light.

 _“Julie?”_ Kuvira couldn’t believe it. “You didn’t—“

Julie shook her head. “I’m so sorry…so sorry…”

“Julie, what…” Kuvira trailed off, completely at a loss. This sweet girl couldn’t—wouldn’t have done this.

“It was my parents.” Julie was whispering, but Kuvira could hear her clearly over the sound of cars rushing past the windows. “I heard a little girl’s mom talking in the lobby about you being at dinner with a lady when I was waiting for my parents yesterday after class, you were teaching a little kids’ class, and I guess when they—my parents—came in to get me they heard too and they brought it up later and asked me about it and I said I didn’t know anything about it, I’m so sorry, Ms. Kuvira, I had no idea—“

“It’s okay, Julie,” Kuvira said quietly.

Julie shook her head again. “No, it isn’t!”

She was right. It wasn’t okay. Kuvira had no idea where this money was going to come from, and insurance wasn’t going to pay for all of it.

Without her knowing, Korra had appeared behind Kuvira, surveying the damage and the young girl standing in the middle of the floor.

Kuvira just sighed, unsure of what she was feeling, if anything. “Are your parents here, Julie? How did you get here?”

“I walked; I had to tell you what they did…” Julie was hugging herself, tears still streaming down her small face.

Suddenly confused, Korra asked, “How did you know what they did?”

Julie glanced at Kuvira, who nodded, before speaking, “They came back to the house laughing and stuff so I asked and they said…”

“What, Julie?” Kuvira stared at the girl.

Korra looked between them, very unsure of what Julie was going to say.

“They just said that they dealt with the problem.” Julie’s words were almost unintelligible. She suddenly rushed closer to Kuvira. “I was so scared they’d hurt you or something, I’m so sorry, Ms. Kuvira, I’m so, so sorry.”

Kuvira took a deep breath and hugged Julie, who only came up to her chin. “It’s okay.”

Korra just watched the sudden affection Kuvira was showing. She was stunned.


End file.
